Pew Research reckons that Christians makes up 1.8% of the approximately 127 million Japanese population. In contrast to Pew’s stats, the Japanese government estimates that about 1% are Christians. However, according to Takayuki Hayashi (Tak), Japanese pastors believe that the numbers of Christians are much lower. They believe that the stats given by international organizations are more optimistic than reality in Japan.
Tak is a Japanese man currently partnering with the ministry, Overseas Instruction in Counseling (OIC). Sharing his testimony, Tak lamented that 0.4% of Japanese people are evangelical Christians. However, more saddening is the reality that only 0.2% of this evangelical group actually go to church regularly. It is also staggering that in the northwest rural area of Japan, where Tak currently serves with his family, only 0.01% are Christians. This is the case in rural towns with no presence of churches. This means, 1 out of every 10,000 people is a believer in these rural Japanese towns with no churches. In addition, 95% of Japanese people have never heard the gospel.
Japan is the second country in the world where Christianity is in great decline, yet it is completely open to missionaries. Tak currently serves as a pastor at Uchinada Bible Church in Ishikawa. According to Tak, this local church is the largest evangelical gathering in Northwest Japan, with only 130 congregants. He added that an average population of a local church is 20 to 30. Also, the average age among Japanese pastors is 70 years, and the average age in the congregation is a little under 70 years. Tak noted that according to recent stats, 89% of church congregations, depending on the denomination, are over 50 years old. This jolting reality poses huge threats to the estimated 1% Christian population in Japan. Churches are closing down. Pastors are overwhelmed and dying. The suicide rate is skyrocketing among Japanese people.
Therefore, Tak and his wife, Sarah, can’t help but ask the fundamental question, “How can we help these people who are so suicidal? Pastors, who are so overwhelmed?” For Tak, the unequivocal answer to this momentous problem is sound biblical counseling. He also came to realize the need for trainers who will be faithful to counsel biblically. Trainers who are able to point Japanese people to saving faith in Christ Jesus as the remedy to the Japanese problem and are able to train others to do the same.
Prior to being saved, Tak had no desire to settle in his home country. However, his mother sent him to Bob Jones University in South Carolina, where, having been counseled and discipled biblically, he became a believer at the age of 19. The man who led Tak to Christ simply counseled him biblically, and this discipleship relationship fostered Tak’s love for biblical counseling. After going on multiple mission trips, Tak became convinced that the Lord was calling him to minister among his people. Tak later went to seminary to study biblical counseling in order to prepare for this ministry. However, after moving to and being in Japan for a year, he felt the need to raise support from the United States for the work in Japan.
While visiting the United States, by divine providence Tak visited a local church in Seattle, Washington, where Joe Miller serves as a counseling pastor. Tak was introduced to Joe, who is an OIC team member serving Japan and had recently completed OIC’s two-year Church Leadership Training (CLT) modular program at Tokyo Baptist Church in Tokyo, Japan. Joe briefly shared with Tak about the success they had at the training in Tokyo, as they graduated over 100 Japanese people who had completed all four CLT modules. These graduates were now able to train others all over Japan. Tak was riveted on hearing what OIC had accomplished so far in Japan. Tak desired to see biblical counselors trained in northwest Japan as well because secular psychology counseling is prevalent.
Tak was convinced to partner with OIC for two major reasons. First, he was encouraged by what OIC had accomplished around the world. Second, the uniqueness of the organization, for there is probably no other organization with a well-structured biblical counseling curriculum to train trainers in this urgently needed field. Joe accepted and held an OIC information meeting at Tak’s church several months after their first meeting.
The work the Lord is doing in northwest Japan, through Tak and Uchinada Bible Church is purely astonishing. In collaboration with Joe, Tak recently organized a biblical counseling webinar that saw 462 people registered and logged in from all over Japan. American resident Japanese attended this webinar as well. This turn out encouraged Tak that people all over Japan are interested in learning about biblical counseling.
The Lord is evidently reforming hearts in Japan. Tak shared briefly about a Japanese woman who had been a nominal Christian for many years and was not interested in the CLT modules. She thought this training was not for her. However, after hearing Tak recommend the modules multiple times, she thought she would attend it once. In the first session, Joe emphasized that Biblical counseling is not for unbelievers, but for believers. On hearing this, the Japanese woman thought of quitting the training because her initial motive was to apply biblical counseling to her unbelieving husband. However, after completing the first session of CLT Module 1, she realized she personally needed biblical counseling. She decided to continue with the module and remarkably she became convicted and came to realize that she indeed needed this training. According to Tak, this woman read one of the required textbooks for the CLT modules four times in six months, even though trainees were only required to read once. By the end of the training, this woman realized the idols in her heart and repented. It is a miracle that a woman whom people did not want to associate with because of her stern character, now has the joy of the gospel radiating to others through her regenerated life. Tak added that she is now one of the more fervent believers in their church and is actively serving. The story of this particular woman is one among many who are being transformed for Jesus Christ through this partnership.
Finally, Uchinada Bible Church, where Tak serves as a pastor, is implementing the CLT modules at their Training Center where they equip, teach, and train missionaries and pastors. Missionaries leaving Japan and pastors dying reveal the urgent need for such training among the Japanese people. In addition, Tak’s church is reaching out to children in the community through Awana Bible club. They are seeking to minister to neglected people, and building relationships, for gospel purposes, with city leaders, the public library, and fire stations. They also mobilize the Japanese community in ways that open gospel opportunities. For instance, they organize sports outreaches, Karate ministry, Family Marathon outreach, among others. Another major part of their mission is to see more churches planted and revitalized. In addition, they hope to have a bookstore and printing press in the future that will make good Christian books readily accessible and affordable for the Japanese people.
Uchinada Bible Church is seeing the Lord work through their ministries to bring about hearts’ transformation and expansion of the Kingdom of Christ in Japan. Although, statistics reveal a decline in Christianity in Japan, Tak, along with the OIC ministry, are very optimistic that the good Lord will use trained biblical counselors to propagate the gospel all over Japan. Therefore, prayers are coveted for Tak, his family, and this local church as well as their partnership with OIC. We can pray, with great expectations, that the Lord will bring his sheep to hear the gospel truth for repentance among the 99% unbelieving Japanese.
Referenced Sources
Christianity Today in Japan:
https://www.christiantoday.co.jp/articles/26725/20190408/shukyo-nenkan-2018.htm
https://www.christiantoday.co.jp/articles/8463/20061120/news.htm
Operation World:
https://www.operationworld.org/country/japa/owtext.html
Pew Research:
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